1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a video sharing network, and more particularly to a method of distributing videos to a social community within a computerized network.
2. The Relevant Technology
Recently, the phenomenon of Internet sharing has gained widespread popularity thanks to many technological advances that make it easier and safer to communicate and distribute content over the Internet. One area of particular interest is the emergence of viral video, or video clip content which gains widespread popularity though the process of Internet sharing. Generally, this content is distributed through email, instant messaging, blogs, or other media sharing websites.
Perhaps one reason for the sudden surge in video content online is the proliferation of web-cams, camera phones, together with inexpensive video editing and publishing tools, which allow a potential videographer to easily create, edit, and distribute video content to a potentially limitless audience. Among popular distribution methods is the use of media sharing websites, where video and other media content may be uploaded by a user and stored on a media sharing server, where the content is available for downloading from anyone connected to the media sharing server via a network connection.
One disadvantage of current media sharing websites is that they are limited to the content that is offered within the particular site, without the capacity to retrieve additional content from other media sharing sites. Additionally, the current systems are limited in that they do not effectively utilize their existing social networks. Generally, such sites require each viewer to log in and manage videos received from each of their contacts, within each sharing community. While such systems can be effective for users who are constantly and actively updating and seeking out additional video content, the system is less effective for average users who have neither the time, inclination, nor computer savvy to manually discover, download, and add video content to their video playlist.
Thus, there is a need for an efficient social network distribution system, wherein members of a social network can easily share and/or play videos with other members of the network.